NIGERIA POLITICAL CYCLES OF ERROR - THE FAILURE OF FOLLOWERS

Election no doubt is one of the defining elements of democracy, but it's not its sole elements. There are a lot of factors that determine the viability, sustainability and utility of a country democratic process. Some of these factors include: an impartial judiciary, a responsive and responsible civil society, freedom of the press, an enlightened and active citizenry, among others.

To me and among all these factors, one major factors lacking greatly in our country today is an enlightened and active citizenship participation in the democratic process. To an average politically active Nigerian, the only duty he has is to cast his ballot in selecting those who will represent him at various levels and offices, and that is all. It's therefore not surprising that election periods are the best moments you will hear of all forms of serious armchair political, social and economic analysis. After that, most Nigerians will recoil back to their shells.

I'm tempted to say and perhaps that rightly that the problem of Nigeria today is no longer the problem of leadership but that of followers; and I stand to be corrected with adequate explanations.

Here are my assumptions:
1. Every Nigerian leader today was once a follower.
2. Most Nigerian leaders today are irresponsible because most Nigeria followers are irresponsible.
3. Our leaders are bad because we are bad - bad followers breath bad leaders and vice versa.

You will agree with me that despite the Shakespearean axiom of 'some are born great, others have greatness thrust upon them'; the truth is no one was born an overnight leader. Every leader we see around today were product of Nigeria societal values. They grew up from among us. What they are as followers are what they are exhibiting as leaders. And obviously, this dated back to their days of irresponsible followership. In other words, it's because they failed as followers, that is why they are failing as leaders.

Arguably therefore, it's important we look out for people idiosyncrasies and competency while they are followers before we put them into positions of authority. What am I saying? I mean, it will be very difficult if not nearly impossible to choose a chronic liar as a follower and expect him to be a honest dude as a leader. It doesn't work that way. Likewise, it will be difficult to make an indolent follower as a leader and expect him to become an overnight workaholics. It doesn't and won't work that way. Or expect fraudulent person to become a man of integrity having ascend the position of authority.

Essentially therefore and in juxtaposition of my 'assumption two': most Nigerian leaders today are irresponsible because most Nigerian followers are irresponsible. Let's us assume, we've made  mistakes in choosing bad leaders from among us. It won't be a problem if all of us or majority of the followers will not sit akimbo and watch helplessly the undoings of the leaders of today.

The implication of this is that we can all made the needed changes if we will all make our little but meaningful contribution to nation building. Unfortunately, no one want to bear the cart, so we remain in the perpetual cycles of errors and self defeat. The question is for how long can we continue to sit down and expect manner from above? It will be till eternity guys. It's time to rise up to defend our common heritage.

Imagine every citizen going to their state and local authorities to ask why the roads to their homes and offices are not tarred, why water will not flow from pipes of water corporation, why there will not be light and PHCN staff will still bring crazy bills, why agencies of government will fail in their statutory duties, why civil servants will demand bribes for the job they are paid for...why? Why? Why the system will not work?

Unfortunately, this is not the case because an average Nigerian has been conditioned to blame others (especially the leaders) for his or her woes in what I would like to call the African Blame Game Theory. It's therefore not amazing that when people ascend position of power, they still blame others (the leaders ahead of them, the opposition, and or as ridiculous as it may sound, the followers sometimes) for their apparent failures.

Here is how we came across it: in the colonial days, our forefathers blamed the colonial master for their woes, troubles and failures as citizens. They argued that their cultures and values were being eroded (though logical to some extent as any logical excuse may appear); this the few colonial African elites inherited and blew it to a large proportion through propaganda and sophistry. At Independence, this message was carried over and sold to the early Independence Nigerians in folktales, religious houses,  through words of mouths by friends and acquaintances; while some read them in history books, internet and social media platforms.

Meanwhile, these stories are not selling again, so we started blaming ourselves: those who have ascend to position of leadership who themselves were product of the African blame game theory. This partially accounts for the reason why elected presidents, governors, chairmen, councilors, head of agencies...will blame their predecessors for three or more years out of one term of four years in offices. This also partly responsible for the blaming of the West for failure of our social and economic policies especially when they originated from them.

Honestly speaking, we can't make a headway, if we don't stop this victim mentality. Without attempt to justify colonialism and bad leadership; the truth is our wrong conditioning to always blame others for our failures and woes is doing us more harm than good, and it's the time to let go of it.

This mind conditioning has resulted in what I would like to call the vicious cycles of bad followers cum leaders such that the bad leaders add to produce more bad followers and vice versa. Thus in effect, bad followers breath bad leaders and vice versa thereby confirming my third hypothesis: our leaders are bad because we are bad, we are bad because our leaders are bad, and the cycle of abysmal governance and maladministration continue.

Here is my simple antidote to these anomalies: every Nigerian parent has a responsibility to teach and train their children to be responsible followers as today followers are tomorrow leaders, aside the fact, they should be able to ask critical questions about the government and governance of their country. The adult followers of today must rise to become responsible and active citizenry.

The question is can someone give what he doesn't have? The answer is NO! There is need for a lot of learning and unlearning by the adults of today to become responsible citizens and be in a position to inculcate good values in the lives of their children. Suffice to say, there must be a deliberate intervention measures.

It's in this regards, the civil society made up of the mass media and NGOs must rise to occasion to embark on deliberate sensitization of the masses on what are their rights and responsibility from time to time are. Our school curriculum must also be refashioned to reflect this change in atitudinal policy and goal. By and large, we will be able to liberate ourselves from this perennial political cycles of errors.

God bless Nigeria!
God bless Africa!!